Match me such marvel

Buses, ferries, taxis, mini-vans and shank's mare. Colin Keaveney takes everything but a mule from Cairo to Petra and back
When one of the young employees in my local corner shop in Doqqi learned that I was going to Petra, he was nonplussed. For days he asked me repeatedly when I was leaving. Then the night before my departure he quizzed me about why I was going. Petra was a beautiful place, I answered. To which he responded instantly: "Isn't Egypt beautiful?"
Petra, the major remaining trace of a Nabatean civilisation that reached its peak between the first century BC and the second century AD, cannot utterly escape the preposterous ironies of modern tourism: all that effort expended in pursuit of far-off beauty, the exotic idyll; all that money spent in order to ensure that when we finally arrive there is air-conditioning, a shower, an automatic banking machine, But, it comes as close as any tourist destination to transcending them.
Petra is imbued with drama and suspense. From the moment one begins walking down the long Siq gorge with its sheer rock walls toward the hidden city, the place grips the imagination. The magical first partial glimpse of the Treasury (Al-Khazneh) feels like an initiation into a mystery. And when the Temple Arcade and Roman theatre hove into view a couple of hundred metres further on, one is under a spell.
But before the sublimity of Petra can lay claim to your soul, the annoyances and banal rites of tourism must be endured. My experience of the overland route is a case in point. Comfort cannot truthfully be cited as a reason for taking the bus and ferry from Cairo to Petra: seats on the bus to the Red Sea port of Nuweiba have been spaced with stunted ten-year-olds in mind; heaven help you if the person in front decides to recline since the seats seem capable of a virtually horizontal position, which will leave you on very intimate terms with the crown of their head; and the music, religious intonings or video are inevitably loud enough to wake the dead, so sit toward the front of the bus, away from the speakers, to avoid hearing loss. Better still, pack ear-plugs.
If, like me, you opt for the 11pm departure from Cairo's Abbasiya terminus in order to catch the slow ferry at 2pm the following afternoon, be prepared for a long wait in the detention centre-like environment of Nuweiba port. Fortunately, the port authorities and police have come up with a way of keeping travellers occupied: it's called "standing in line"; in fact, at Nuweiba you get to stand in many lines and sit in various waiting rooms and areas.
There are advantages, however, to choosing the bus and ferry option, chief among them the price. Flying from Cairo to Amman alone will set you back at least LE800-1,000. For that price, the wily traveller can get all the way to Petra and back, stay in a mid-range hotel and eat copiously.
In addition, the land and sea route can be full of pleasant surprises. If I had taken the plane, I would never have shared a delicious breakfast of rice and deep fried breaded chicken with an Indonesian student of Islamic theology at Al-Azhar. Mohamed Ali -- he imitated a boxer's punch and grinned when he told me his name -- was a mine of travelling tips and assorted wisdom. Among other things, he told me of a certain fish found in Egypt the oil of which, when strategically dabbed, serves a man as an aphrodisiac. He confided to me that he had once eaten the whole fish. As he recounted the incident he gestured with forearm and fist to indicate the effects of the fish, which had lasted 24 hours. Then he cackled and lit up a cigarette.
Steaming out of Nuweiba harbour in the early afternoon is a balm for the soul. In a matter of minutes, the fresh sea air, the splash and spray of the limpid Red Sea waters and the sight of the desert coastlines of Egypt and Saudi Arabia had all but banished the memory of nine tiresome hours spent waiting in Nuweiba port.
The slow ferry also affords an opportunity for meeting people. Strolling the decks, a fellow traveller hailing from Syria with whom I had earlier struck up a conversation invited me to join him and his friends in a copious picnic of bread, pickles, boiled eggs, cheese and meats. Those who were not eating, talking or taking in the view were stretched out in the shade asleep, dreaming perhaps of a place where passports were stamped without delay.
After all the tedium of Egyptian bureaucracy, the passage through Jordanian immigration and customs was a blessed relief. Within 10 minutes we were through and were busy negotiating a taxi fare to Petra. Microbuses from the city centre cost three Jordanian dinars (JD), but with four in a taxi it is possible to make the trip all the way from the port to your hotel in Petra for JD6.
A stroke of luck had us approaching Petra at dusk and the taxi driver pulled over so that we could enjoy a spectacular sunset over the valley below.
Petra has a wide range of hotel options, from the mattress-on-the- roof variety to the usual 5-star hotels. When I visited in late June, the town was virtually deserted. In my mid-range hotel, the eager staff outnumbered the guests. Whether due to the low season or the Israeli-Palestine conflict, the result is that the tourist is king when it comes to negotiating accommodation prices in Petra.
Once inside the ancient city, the energetic traveller should opt for the climb up to the "High Place of Sacrifice," a sharp left turn at the shops located before one arrives at the Street of Facades. Hundreds of steps lead up to a stone platform presumed to have been used to celebrate animal sacrifices to the Nabatean deities, Dushara and Al-'Uzza. Legend also has it that this is the place where Abraham intended to sacrifice Isaac. Today, it is a vantage point from which it is easier to appreciate the topographical situation of Petra that lured the Nabateans, originally a nomadic people, to settle here: the city is hewn into and concealed by rock formations that are in turn located in a wide valley, protected by high mountains.
Descending from the Place of Sacrifice on the western side of the platform one passes the Lion fountain, once a place where travellers took refreshment, now one of the strategic venues for local hawkers of trinkets and stone baubles.
Below lie a number of structures that attest to Rome's growing sphere of geopolitical influence in the region in the first century AD. One of these is the Tomb of the Roman Soldier, the interior of which is carved out of the multi- coloured rock so characteristic of all the tombs in Petra. This part of the site seems relatively less visited than the others -- by humans, that is. Upon entering the Garden Temple, I found myself in the company of a small flock of sheep. From the smell, it would seem they had made it their chief abode.
The one-day visitor is well advised at this juncture to head west along the Wadi Mousa, once the central thoroughfare of Roman-controlled Petra, toward Al-Deir (The Monastery). What awaits you when you reach the top of the 1,000 or so steps that lead there is a typically Nabatean facade (semipillars bearing a lintel decorated with a Doric frieze featuring Medusa heads and geometrical patterns). It is the massive scale of the place and the awesome location that are exceptional. Petra has little in the way of wardens, so it is possible to go clambering to the top of Al-Deir and stand on the urnlike pinnacle. You really shouldn't, but you will -- unless you are afraid of heights.
And as you make your way down Wadi Al-Deir, it will do your heart good to see fellow travellers labouring their way up. Be kind and don't tell them exactly how many steps they have left to climb. If you have another day or two at Petra, at this stage you may just want to make your way back to your hotel for a well-earned siesta. Otherwise, you might prefer to visit a series of tombs that lie dead ahead of you as you return east along Wadi Mousa. The Silk Tomb, with its wonderful multi-coloured rock and wood grain texture, is especially striking.
Whatever you choose to do, you will have to retrace your steps and return along the Outer Siq on your way back to the site's entrance. This might be the time to treat yourself to an ice-cold drink in one of the shady tented cafes from which you can observe the 7000- capacity Roman amphitheatre.
Returning from Petra to Cairo proved faster, easier and cheaper than going there. As the bus merged with the viscous Cairene traffic, I felt a thrill at being back in the bustle of the city with the night still young. An instant message informed me that I was invited to a party. It is another of those ironies of travelling that half the pleasure in getting away from it all is the knowledge that we have it all to come back to.
Petra, one of the most stunning architectural sights on the planet, had made me excited about returning to tumble- down, shambolic Cairo. Now that's the magic of travel!
Practical information
Bus: Cairo-Nuweiba LE55; Nuweiba- Cairo LE40. Telephone 4824853 or 4824753 to confirm departure times and prices.
Ferry: Slow ferry Nuweiba-Aqaba: LE130 (disregard demands for payment in dollars at the Abbasiya bus terminus; tickets can be bought at the port in Egyptian currency); Fast ferry $45
Aqaba-Nuweiba: Fast ferry (12am), $30 plus JD5 departure tax.
Taxis: JD3 Aqaba port to bus terminus; JD24 (negotiable) Aqaba-Petra.
Service buses: JD3 Petra-Aqaba.
Accommodation: Budget options include the cheap and cheerful Valentine Hotel (Fax: +962 3 2156423; e-mail: Valentineinn@hotmail.com) JD3 for a mattress in a shared room. A good mid- range option is the Amra Palace Hotel (Fax: +962 3 2157071; e-mail: amrapalace@index.com.fo). Further accommodation information can be found online at meltingpot.fortunecity.com/ oregon/639/petrahotel.html.
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